Austin Seedman is rolled into the operating room where he will undergo surgery to remove a cataract from his left eye, a symptom of Wolfram syndrome. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Austin Seedman's operation took about 10 minutes. Before the operation, Austin began using drops to dilate the pupil of his left eye to make it easier for the doctor to operate. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Dr. Feinerman volunteered to do Austin Seedman's surgery as an outreach under his nonprofit Operation In-Sight. The full cost of the surgery typically is not covered by insurance. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Inside the operation room, a large monitor shows the surgery, which allows Austin's parents to see the procedure in great detail. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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Austin's father records the procedure on his iPad while his mother watches anxiously. Feinerman said he does 10 to 14 surgeries a day. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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During the operation, Austin's father, Eric Seedman, chronicled his son's operation through his iPad. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

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At the conclusion of the operation, Austin rests with his mother at his side. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

Austin Seedman is placed under a LenSx laser, a $500,000 machine used during his cataract surgery. ISAAC ARJONILLA, ORANGE COUNTY REGISTER

About Wolfram syndrome

Wolfram syndrome is a genetic condition that affects an estimated one in every 500,000 people. It impacts many of the body's systems, often triggering diabetes, vision and hearing loss, urinary tract problems, a lack of testosterone in males, and neurological or psychiatric disorders. These symptoms typically appear during adolescence and grow worse with age.

The disorder is caused by a genetic mutation that leads to an imbalance of calcium in the cells. There's no known cure for Wolfram syndrome, with patients left to treat individual symptoms in attempt to slow the degenerative process.

Source: U.S. National Library of Medicine

Gift of sight

Dr. Gregg Feinerman has performed vision correction procedures since 2001.

Along with his LASIK work, Feinerman has gained international attention for removing cataracts. He performed the first Crystalens procedure in Southern California after the technology was approved by the FDA in 2003 and has now performed the procedure more times than any other doctor in the state, he said.

Feinerman founded Operation In-Sight in 2005 to provide vision correction for needy patients. The mission has taken Feinerman to Vietnam, where he has performed hundreds of surgeries for poverty-stricken residents. Soon he will head to Bali and Cambodia to perform dozens of surgeries while delivering donated equipment and teaching local doctors the latest techniques.

Deaf since age 2, the Coto de Caza native reads lips to supplement the limited hearing generated by his cochlear implant.

That's what made the cataracts that had been casting ever-growing clouds over the 22-year-old's vision all the more debilitating. Both issues are symptoms of his rare genetic disorder, Wolfram syndrome.

It also made the prospect of surgery to remove those cataracts terrifying, in case something went wrong and Seedman was further cut off from the world around him.

Seedman's outlook cleared Thursday, after a Newport Beach doctor performed free surgery that left him with perfect vision for the first time since he was 5 years old.

"He's already 20/20 and can read his iPhone," Dr. Gregg Feinerman said following a check-up three hours after the operation. "He even read the small print on a medicine bottle."

Seedman's reaction after waking up from anesthesia was simple: "I'm seeing!"

While reading lips and text messages are important to Seedman, one thing motivated him to brave surgery.

"I just wanted to get my license so I can do my own thing and be independent," like planning trips to football games and dinner with friends, he said. "I won't just be trapped in my apartment like I have been."

Seedman's parents said he has never let himself be trapped by his disorder, which triggers Type 1 diabetes along with hearing problems, vision problems and other symptoms. The Capistrano Valley High School graduate was always mainstreamed in school and participated in sports, refusing to dwell on his condition.

"He's been so carefree his whole life about everything," his mom, Bobbie Valentine, said. "He's always been like a normal kid."

Seedman works at a gym in Laguna Beach, tending the front desk and cleaning among other tasks. He takes public transportation or hitches rides with family to get around. He's also lived on his own in Newport Beach for the last three years, first with roommates and now solo.

His parents said they worry every day about him being alone, waiting anxiously for text messages confirming he's OK. His diabetes is the scariest, his dad, Eric Seedman, said, with Austin required to use an insulin pump and constantly check his blood sugar.

It was the cataracts that really began impacting Austin's independence, though, leading him to give up on college after he had a hard time reading the board or his teacher's lips. His vision troubles also have kept Austin from pursuing another job; he's interested in working in a warehouse or in retail.

"He was the one that came to us and said, 'It's time,'" Eric Seedman recalled of the decision to undergo surgery.

The family began researching doctors and found Feinerman Vision Center three months ago, scheduling a visit to learn what options were available to help Austin.

"I looked in the waiting room and said, 'Him?' because you just don't see someone that young with cataracts," Feinerman said.

Though traditional cataract surgery is done using a lens from the same material used to make airplane windshields, Feinerman said that hard acrylic does not contract with the eye as it looks at closer objects, leaving most patients in need of reading glasses. With new Crystalens implants, the eye's clouded lens is replaced with a flexible silicone, making it ideal for patients such as Austin who like to text message and spend time in front of the computer.

The problem is that insurance typically only covers the traditional procedure, not the extra $5,000 per eye Crystalens runs.

"They were going to find a way to make it happen," Feinerman said of Austin's parents.

To help them avoid that struggle, Feinerman volunteered to do Austin's surgery as an outreach of his nonprofit Operation In-Sight, founded in 2005 to provide vision correction procedures for those who can't afford them or for public servants who need clear vision in their work.

Feinerman successfully operated on Austin's right eye in December. After leaving the recovery room, Austin looked across the corridor at what had simply been a round blur earlier that day and easily read the time: 10:26 a.m.

"On the way home he was asking when he could get his other eye done," his dad said.

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